deskthority

You should replace the switches. Lube won't help them. You can also try spamming them to wear corrosion off the contacts and checking the solder joints.

Will do, atm i'm waiting to get a desoldering station to speed up the process

Also, i noticed some of the keys don't do that clicky sound when ...

alh84001 wrote: Wait, it's on this side of the Atlantic! Is it the right time to put my name forward in case any exotic Alps switches find their way to you?

I'll let you you know for sure, for now nothing exotic, only blue and white alps

mike52787 wrote: does he work at a recycling center or something?

Something like that, a place where they destroy things that aren't used anymore, not only computer stuff tho

yup, thats a model m. how do you get so lucky finding all this good stuff? :p

Long story... pretty much where my brother is working

Anyway i'll clean that M good and see if i can find some replacement for the missing right ctrl cap. It seems to be working fine, tried it with the miraculous lindy ...

New finding, looks like an IBM model m?

http://i.imgur.com/vudPYyS.jpg
http://i.imgur.com/o4UCgRQ.jpg

So i've just received the Lindy PS2 to USB converter, seems to work flawlessy except few key which probably have a damaged switch, gonna replace them as soon as i can.
Or do you suggest just lubricate them?

I hate the 1x1 backspace button

Besides being internal and having NKRO there aren't any real differences.

Mmhh so i guess i better look for a decent converter here in eu, i couldn't find the one you suggested here, only on ebay from US which costed more for the shipping than for the actual thing, so...

edit: Any info on this ...

Besides being internal and having NKRO there aren't any real differences.

Mmhh so i guess i better look for a decent converter here in eu, i couldn't find the one you suggested here, only on ebay from US which costed more for the shipping than for the actual thing, so...

edit: Any info on this ...

Yep, it bypasses the driver issue. If you know how to solder and feel comfortable flashing firmware you could make a Soarer's converter and stick it inside the keyboard so it appears to be native USB. ;)

That could go too, there's plenty of space in this kb.
Depends on how hard it is to do, and ...

You need an active converter.

If some of the switches don't respond properly, there's probably some crap in the switchplate. See if you can blow it out with some compressed air. Otherwise, you may have to replace it.

Great find though, congrats! :)

Thanks! :D yes it's probably that because it's ...

Alright so i soldered the cable directly on the PCB (it's just temporary, i'll use the original connector when i'm sure everything works perfectly) i tried using the passive converter, and switching through AT and XT, one of these makes the keyboard totally unresponsive, no leds, no inputs, nothing ...

Okie. I'm just trying to keep you aware of all your options. :)

Glad you could source some Hydrogen Peroxide. Also happy that you don't have to spend time with a multimeter -- it's convenient when companies label their connectors.

Yep, you could try with a passive. It just wouldn't do anything ...

If any single Chicony has a whole cable you can trace the wires from the DIN connector to the internal connector using a multimeter. You'll be able to determine the pinout by looking at a DIN pinout.

Otherwise, this may be an invaluable resource:

https://deskthority.net/w/images/9/9e/Chicony_KB ...

This is how the chiconys look like inside
http://i.imgur.com/iBwVi2O.jpg

Plug and connector
http://i.imgur.com/aeVEKpC.jpg

Closing on the plug
http://i.imgur.com/OXpk5Vl.jpg

And this is a shot of the keycap inside
http://i.imgur.com/vhEqoD9.jpg

Now i need to figure the connections to ...

Correct -- passive won't work on those keyboards afaik.

Yes, then you'll need to figure out their pinout and solder in a PS/2 or DIN cable. Hopefully the keyboard's pins are labeled on the PCB/shown in a photo or pinout somewhere.

Thanks!

I'll keep this thread updated with pics and stuff anyway ...

You can use a DIN to PS/2 cable then a PS/2 to USB converter if you want to avoid soldering.

I think you just uncovered the biggest cache of Blue Alps I've ever seen. If you want to get rid of one, PM me.

Problem is none of them have the original cable, so i'd need soldering anyway unless i can ...

YOU SCORED!

You can get a converter for the Chicony keyboards. Any active PS/2 to USB converter should work, including the Blue Box. They're worth a fair amount due to their Blue Alps switches. And your ANSI Cherry keycaps also might have some value. :)

The white square and circle are slider ...

So i managed to get a hold of some old and interesting keyboards (i think) i'll just post the link of the entire album, i also have 3/4 of the same keyboard (the chicony), so i should be able to salvage enough parts to repair and make utilizable at least 2 in total.
Also i can't recognize 1 or 2 ...

Is it this one?

http://deskthority.net/wiki/Olivetti_ANK_25-101

That would mean that it should probably be PS/2 signal-wise. About the older 24 models I'm not so sure, they had some more creative protocols.


that's the 25-102, mine is 2502 like the one in the photo i linked, anyway someone ...

Hello everyone, i recently came in possession of an old Olivetti ANK 2502 (similar to a 25-102), apparently it's an olivetti m240/280's keyboard. Unfortunately the cable hasn't got the pc plug, it only has the keyboard plug so i don't know whether it uses an AT, XT or Serial plug on the other end ...

any help?

Yo guys, my idea is to replace every blue led with white ones and to paint the metal cover that holds the switches down with white paint (now it's black).

thing is i don't know which leds i should buy because i don't know the specs of the original ones installed on it. I need to buy something that ...